Eau Pernice’s “Backward Singing Performance” series consists of elements that initially identify the piece as a concert. But as soon as the three-part composition is sung backwards any recognizability vanishes. The performances are documented on film and in the postproduction reversed and presented as inversions of the originals. The words in the backwards composition are thereby turned frontwards in the videos, and the songs become decipherable – and perhaps recognizable, as a pop song or hymn – in the afterlife of the performance. In the gap between the work’s two temporally staggered layers, Eau Pernice’s backwards compositions hold an enigmatic promise of meaning.

The performance took place at GAK – Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst in Bremen, March 2023 and was supported by the Danish Arts Foundation. It was performed by Maria Marstal, Karoline Leonora Seidelin Banke and Eau Pernice. The work was presented within the context of The Bad Boy Jesus City Swimmers Club – a format by Mitko Mitkov, moving deliberately in the shadows of outdoor and indoor pools, radio waves and cultural institutions. 

Camera: Leon Sahiti

Edit: Signe Boe